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Took a hard turn going to work this morning and somehow all my lug nuts/bolts snapped in half. This is the driver side rear wheel. Luckily I was able to stop and pull off the shoulder. Car is off at the mechanic right now. Nervously waiting on the estimate call right now... Hope you all have a better Monday
It was just one wheel. 5 bolts on the rear driver side wheel to be exact. They all snapped in half, some are still stuck to the wheel hub. I couldn't even put a spare on since the bolts where stuck in there. It was a pain getting it off the tow bed on one rear wheel, I'm lowered on pss9's too so the entire rear was scrapping. These are forgestar f14's that I purchased from need4speed motorsports(forum vendor), the bolts were either supplied by them or forgestar.
Still waiting on an estimate from the mechanic as we speak, they're trying to get the car on a lift... Not sure how they will with one rear wheel. :-(
05 CLK55 AMG (1 of 247) Cubanitsilber designo series
My guess is you have Chinese lug bolts. I would definitely consider changing all of them to RAD German certified lug bolts. From their website:
"Production and quality assurance
RAD’s production facilities are staffed by long-time, well-trained personnel, who guarantee the quality of our products through their product knowledge and attention to detail. Ongoing maintenance in the manufacturing areas help to minimize machine down-time. SPC, FMEA and CPI are permanent elements of our quality assurance program according to VDA6.1.
Final inspections are not restricted to random quality checks. Every single fastener is tested and logged on a PACE test machine to ensure compliance with specifications. By doing so, we completely fulfill the zero fault philosophy that we expect and demand."
Thanks I'll check that out; however, I'm not even sure what size bolts I'll need. Hopefully I can just replace the bolts. I have a feeling I'll have to replace the wheel hub and other suspension parts that may have gotten affected. The car is dropped off at a shop that specializes in Mercedes so they definitely know their stuff, only thing is their service comes at a premium (stealership prices). I don't normally take my car there but it was the closest place. Crossing my fingers most the parts are okay
Originally Posted by floridawriter
My guess is you have Chinese lug bolts. I would definitely consider changing all of them to RAD German certified lug bolts. From their website:
"Production and quality assurance
RAD’s production facilities are staffed by long-time, well-trained personnel, who guarantee the quality of our products through their product knowledge and attention to detail. Ongoing maintenance in the manufacturing areas help to minimize machine down-time. SPC, FMEA and CPI are permanent elements of our quality assurance program according to VDA6.1.
Final inspections are not restricted to random quality checks. Every single fastener is tested and logged on a PACE test machine to ensure compliance with specifications. By doing so, we completely fulfill the zero fault philosophy that we expect and demand."
I would never have thought something like this was even possible in normal driving, but you are at least the third person this has happened to. Although cheap bolts may be a root cause there has to be some other contributing factor I would think. Either too tight or too loose. I don't see why any of your other suspension parts would be affected though.
I would never have thought something like this was even possible in normal driving, but you are at least the third person this has happened to. Although cheap bolts may be a root cause there has to be some other contributing factor I would think. Either too tight or too loose. I don't see why any of your other suspension parts would be affected though.
My initial concern was potential damage to suspension parts when the wheel came off. The rear was scrapping a lot when transporting the car to and from the tow bed. But overall, I agree with you - there could be a lot of contributing factors. I took this turn @ 60 mph which likely put a lot of stress on the bolts (which could've been stressed already if too tight and/or poorly constructed).
The shop i towed the car to is trying to convince me that my aftermarket wheels arent correct spec, and that i need to replace all four wheels/tires (@ $3k). .. They didn't estimate any damages to any other parts, just simply want to replace everything lol. It's kind of ridiculous. All this in my opinion could likely be corrected with new bolts. It's on a tow bed first thing tomorrow to my regular mechanic if i really can't get this done. More BS to deal with tomorrow.
the only "spec" that could be off on your set of rims would be the bore it should 66.6 mm. if that was off then the whole weight of the car was on the lug-bolts on a car that's designed to have its weight on the hub. Add the chance of the bolts not being good quality or too short and its now very slightly possible to break off your lugs like that.
Thanks guys. The car is going on a tow truck this afternoon.
Question: I'm going to get new bolts for all wheels, I'm trying to figure out the bolt length. I'm starting to question if I was given shorter bolts initially. Is there anyway I can measure the correct lug bolt length for my car?
Some one correct me if i am wrong.
take your stock wheel and stick the stock lug nut through it and measure how much the lug sticks out. This is the same amount the new lug should stick out.
Since you have a set of aftermarket lugs and rims you can do the same test and see if they measure the same. if they are too small order lugs that are a bit longer / shorter. you can get OTIS or RAD lugs.
So, if your stock lugs stick out 30mm out of the back of your stock rims. the aftermarket lugs should stick out 30mm out of the back of the aftermarket rims
Got it thanks. That makes perfect sense. Now I have to dig for my old bolts, not even sure where I left it. if anyone has the dimensions available, please share it!
Would I be able to get OTIS or RAD bolts from the regular local parts store (autozone, advanced auto, pepboys?). Ordering online could take up to a week, especially with the holiday season. I'm really hoping to get my car back on the road by today
the only "spec" that could be off on your set of rims would be the bore it should 66.6 mm. if that was off then the whole weight of the car was on the lug-bolts on a car that's designed to have its weight on the hub. Add the chance of the bolts not being good quality or too short and its now very slightly possible to break off your lugs like that.
If I recall, the bore was made to fit since it was custom ordered. I can't remember if I had to use center rings either, got it shipped to my mechanic that installed everything. I didn't have any vibrations whatsoever so I think it was a perfect fit.
The shop that's trying to sell me new wheels is totally scum, trained to sell parts and services that the customer could do without. I'm eating the towing charges getting it towed there and now back to my regular mechanic. Probably spent $300 getting nothing done so far. In addition to that, the shop charged me $367 for 3 hours of labor for moving the car inside their garage (which they said needed a tow truck to do) and putting a spare on. Ridiculous!!!
I believe the bolt is M12x1.5 not sure if the forgestar are cone or ball seat. You can go to a reputable wheel shop or check if AutoZone or advance auto carries gorilla bolts?
I believe the bolt is M12x1.5 not sure if the forgestar are cone or ball seat. You can go to a reputable wheel shop or check if AutoZone or advance auto carries gorilla bolts?
Yup you're right, mines are M12x1.5. I checked the local parts store but none had these bolts with the same length. I did the measure test with the old bolts/oem wheels and the length was exactly the same as my aftermarket bolts. My mechanic checked all my other wheels and said they were fine. He has no idea why this happened, we're suspecting it's either cheap bolts or too tight/loose. These are the bolts I have:
Edit: I just had the pleasure of speaking to Phil @ Otisincla.com and he helped me find the correct bolts and hub ring for my car. He knew my issue right off the bat and commented on cheap chinese bolts usually supplied by vendors/wheel companies. If anyone DOESNT know where their bolts came from please give this gentleman a call (855-684-7462), he's very knowledgeable and will set you up accordingly with quality bolts. Shout out to Floridawriter for the referral. You gents are livesavers
05 CLK55 AMG (1 of 247) Cubanitsilber designo series
Glad to hear Otis helped you. They really know their stuff and the RAD bolts are the best you can buy anywhere. They are forged not cast and every single bolt they produce is individually tested. It's scary to think what chrome plating covers up.
Someone should make this a sticky.
Last edited by floridawriter; Nov 25, 2015 at 10:25 PM.
When you get the Otis bolts post up a pic of one. I'm running ebay chrome bolts made god knows where. I got them because they are chrome, not because I needed them. Since the bolt heads show, I always thought it was weird that MB uses those fugly bolts that corrode and rust and don't even look good when brand new. But Otis does not have any good pics of the bolt heads on their site, but they look like they have a dished in head that maybe even has the bolt size stamped in it? I don't want that. But otherwise, for the $39 they charge for 20 bolts I'd get a set.
When you get the Otis bolts post up a pic of one. I'm running ebay chrome bolts made god knows where. I got them because they are chrome, not because I needed them. Since the bolt heads show, I always thought it was weird that MB uses those fugly bolts that corrode and rust and don't even look good when brand new. But Otis does not have any good pics of the bolt heads on their site, but they look like they have a dished in head that maybe even has the bolt size stamped in it? I don't want that. But otherwise, for the $39 they charge for 20 bolts I'd get a set.
I bought RAD bolts through otisincla. They're apparently German certified. I think these bolts are supposed to be a grayish color. My wheels are silver and I wanted chrome to match as well - but I'll sacrifice color for quality any day. I'll post pics up when I get them. Got 2 day shipping so hopefully by Monday or Tuesday at latest
Eojj, you can buy those plastic, chrome appearance, bolt head covers. I used them with stock setup before changing the wheels.
They are not needed or useable with the current wheels because the bolt heads are so far recessed they can't be seen, nor would I be able to get the covers on or off.
I thought they were very good; didn't peel; didn't fly off.
i had this happen to me on my 2000 e320. aftermarket rims and lugs. i think it wasn't tighten enough to cause it. i notice some knocking clicking noise from the front end and luckily i was able to drive home. all it cost me was like $50 for a used wheel hub off ebay. i put it in myself. if you could drill the stuck bolts back out it wouldn't cost much at all, or take the part out and bring it to a welding shop and see if they can get it out, seems cheapest to me. if you tow the car to them repair guys, they will charge what ever they want.
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.. They didn't estimate any damages to any other parts, just simply want to replace everything lol. It's kind of ridiculous. All this in my opinion could likely be corrected with new bolts. It's on a tow bed first thing tomorrow to my regular mechanic if i really can't get this done. More BS to deal with tomorrow.
